CEBU, Philippines - Talisay City Councilor Aldin Diaz said he asked Mayor Johnny de los Reyes to submit the names of job order workers who have yet to receive their salaries from August to October.
Diaz, in a press conference, said this would justify his possible support for the approval of the P74 million supplemental budget no. 4, which the mayor had requested.
The mayor, through City Human Resources Division chief, Emely Cabrera, must submit first the list of those unpaid job order workers, because the Council wanted to know if there were discrepancies on the proposed budget, Diaz said.
Diaz, chair of the committee on labor, trade and industry, said he and other councilors were baffled about the mayor’s request for additional budget purportedly for the salaries of the job order workers.
The Council had already appropriated enough funds for this through the second and third supplemental budgets, said Diaz.
He even cited City Budget Officer Edgar Mabunay who told him and other councilors, during a caucus before, that the second and third supplemental budgets will be enough to pay for the salaries of job order workers until the end of this year.
The Council had approved P33.4 million for the second supplemental budget last April, then approved another P28 million, for the third supplemental budget two months ago, said Diaz.
“Nagsige nalang gyud ni siya (Mayor JVR) og pangayo og supplemental aron daw isweldo sa mga job order unya karon nangayo na sab. Pila man diay na ka job order workers ang swelduhanan. Andam man mi mo-approve kung tinuod lang sab ang mga tawo nga swelduhanan,” Diaz said.
De los Reyes, for his part, criticized Diaz and members of the City Council for delaying the approval of his proposed fourth supplemental budget. “Andam ko muhatag sa dokumento nga gipangayo nila basta i-approve lang ang akong budget kay dili mana para akoa. Para man na sa katawhan,” he said.
Diaz further assailed the mayor for continuing to hire job order workers despite the cap on the budget.
Of the P74.1 million sought by the mayor, P9.1 million was supposed to be for the salaries of 500 job order workers, working from August to December, and those set to work from November to December.
The proposed fourth supplemental budget was however referred to the City Council’s committee on budget and finance, chaired by Councilor Edward Alesna. —Gabriel C. Bonjoc/RAE (FREEMAN)